Bedstead-exhibitor



(No Model.)

A. K. ERDMAN.

BEDSTEAD EXHIBITOR. No. 498,972. Patented June 6, 1893.

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ALBERT K. ERDMAN, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

BEDST'EAD-EXHIBITOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,972, dated June 6, 1893.

Application filed August 22, 1892. Serial No. 443,720. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT K. EnDMAN,a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bedstead Exhibitors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a method of exhibiting bedsteads in sales rooms that will economize space and enable them to be shown conveniently to purchasers and it is an improvement on the bedstead exhibitor for which Patent No. 449,654 was issued to Herman Albin and Albert K. Erdman on the 7th day of April, 1891, to which reference is made.

The nature of my improvement is illustrated in the drawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my exhibitor showing one bedstead in position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with bedstead and platform partly cut away showing mode of securing bedsteads to the holding frames. Fig. 3 is a cross section through one of the holding frames showing its shape and relation to the grooves of the platform.

My improvement consists in substituting for each of the series of longholding frames described in the patent to Albin and Erdman referred to, a pair of short holding frames, mounted on casters F, constructed with a center board for supporting the bedsteads instead of abackpiece, and in a different method of securing the bedsteads to the holding frames.

G and G represent respectively the head and foot boards of a bedstead.

A A represent the holding frames which are arranged in pairs, each of which has an end brace a, a center supporting piece a, and a base a wider than the end piece and projecting beyond it on both sides, so as to form a flange adapted to work in the grooves formed by the rails B B arranged on the platform H.

H represents a close platform resting on the fioorof a salesroom, fixed transverselyon which are the series of T shaped rails B B, arranged so as to form grooves between the cross heads of the T and the platform and at such distances apart that the base a of the holding frames will slide in these grooves. The platform H is preferably made of width sufficient to afford a base for the head and foot boards of the widest beds and the cross-heads of the rails B mu st be of such height above the platform II that the base flange of the holding frames A will not choke in them, when, in exhibiting a bedstead, the holding frame at one end is pulled out till its casters rest on the floor. This is the arrangement I prefer but the platform may be made narrower, and the casters of one of each pair of holding frames may rest on the floor, without materially varying the nature of my invention. 'When this narrower platform is used, a bolster, of the thickness of the platform, must be placed above the casters resting on the floor in order to keep the holding frames level.

My exhibitor may be made in sections having such length of platform and as many grooves and frames as the size and shape of the salesroom make convenient.

In securing the bedsteads to my improved holding frames, the head board G is placed upright on one side of the center pieces of the holding frames with the foot of one post on the base d of one of the pair of frames, and the foot of the other post on the base of the other frame, there being a pair of frames in each groove of the platform and each frame being placed in the groove so as to have its end piece toward the outside of the platform. The foot board G is similarly set on the opposite sides of the supporting center pieces a, and they are then clamped together against the center pieces. For the purpose of securing them in their place I use a clamp consisting of a double bolt G, both ends of which are screw threaded and adapted to receive a thumb screw E, outside a cross bar 1) provided with holes adapted to let the ends of the double bolt 0 pass through them. The closed end of the double bolt is wide enough to permit the bolt to embrace any bed post and each center piece, a, is provided with a pair of holes far enough apart to let a bed post stand between them and at the right distance to let the arms of the bolts pass through them. The ends of the bed stead being in opsition as described, the bolt is passed around one of the posts and through the holesin the center piece till its ends project beyond the post on the other side and on each side of it. The cross bar D is then put over the open ends of the bolt and passed down them against the bed post, when the thumb screws are fitted on the ends and screwed down till the posts are clamped firmly against the center pieces.

It is evident that short holding frames constructed in pairs in the manner described will require much less material and are much lighter than the long frames in the patent to which this is an improvement. The shorter frames are also conveniently adapted to any sized bedstead and the use of a center piece for support instead of a back piece dispenses with the use of the blocks to prevent chafing that are necessary when the back supporting piece is used.

I do not desire to confine myself to any one mode of securing the bedsteads to the holding frames and any suitable clamp may be used without interfering with the principle of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a device for exhibiting bedsteads, having a platform with a series of transverse cross shaped rails adapted to form grooves, a series of holding frames arranged in pairs in the grooves, each frame having a base mounted on casters adapted to work in said grooves, a center supporting piece, and an end bracing piece narrower than the base, together with suitable means for clamping the bedsteads to the holding frames, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT K. ERDMAN.

Witnesses:

JAs. GREENE, HARRY KLEIN. 

